Why should I use the VSphere Client to connect to ESXi hosts and vCenter?

[vmman34]

Hi,

Why should I use the vSphere Client to connect to ESXi hosts or VCenter when I can use a browser instead?

Is this for the purpose of  older versions of vSphere and ESXi?

Please forgive me if this is a silly question but I have come into vSphere at 6.7 and I can use a browser.

Thanks

[sk84]

Since vSphere version 6.5 there are only 2 clients available: vSphere Web Client (Flash based) and the vSphere Client (HTML5 based). Both are only running in a browser. The HTML5 vSphere Client will be the future and it's usually faster and (in my opinion) has less bugs and a cleaner look & feel.

The name of the HTML vSphere client is a bit confusing. Because there was an older standalone client application (for vSphere versions 4.x, 5.x, and 6.0) that you could install on Windows. And it was also called vSphere Client (or Fat Client). But it has nothing to do with the new HTML5 vSphere client.

[vmman34]

sk84​

Hi Sk,

Yes this is the one that I have recently come across in the workplace.

I suppose it is used for connecting to and managing versions vcenter and hosts below 6.5?

I agree about the terminology for the new clients.

For example both of the browser based clients are web based but are using different methodologies i.e flash/html5.

Why didn't they just call the browser based clients, classic vSphere Client and vSphere client.

Microsoft do this to us every week with the O365 and Azure portals :smileylaugh:.

[ashishsingh1508]

There is no point in renaming an older product which we are dropping support for.

Also, Web-client can be used from 5.5 onward